Officials, community members and local business representatives gathered at Walters Road and Peterson Road on today to celebrate the groundbreaking of a Walmart Supercenter that was unanimously approved by the City Council nearly six years ago.
“We are pleased to join the Suisun City community for this milestone celebration,” said Jim Groh, Walmart market manager for the North Bay. “We appreciate the support of city and community leaders, and we look forward to bringing new jobs, economic development and the convenience of one-stop shopping to Suisun City.”
The 177,535-square-foot store, which is expected to open in Spring 2015, will feature a full line of groceries, including fresh produce, bakery, deli, meat and seafood, as well as general merchandise ranging from household goods to apparel, electronics and an outdoor garden center.
The development at Walters Road and Highway 12 was approved in 2008 to provide a new major retailer within Suisun City where residents could easily make routine, daily purchases. Under state law, one percent of the sales tax collected from those purchases will help fund basic local city services, such as police, fire, parks and community services.
Since the Walmart Supercenter was approved, the City has weathered difficult economic times through a combination of belt-tightening, service reductions, hiring freezes and salary reductions while relying on money generated by the sale of surplus property.
The opening of this store and the supporting tax revenue it will generate will prevent additional cuts to City services that otherwise would be necessary. The annual revenue to be generated from property taxes, sales taxes and special fees from this one project are projected to exceed $1 million per year, or nearly 10% of the City’s entire General Fund.
Noting comments residents made during a recent community workshop, City Manager Suzanne Bragdon said, “Residents want to shop locally. Walmart will provide an additional opportunity to do so.”
The new store will be open 24-hours a day, and will employ about 300 associates. Walmart officials said local hiring will begin about three months before the store opens. Information about working for Walmart can be found at www.walmartcareers.com.
More information on this project is available through the Community Development Department website.